Answering This One Question Could Save The World!

Have you stayed awake at night wondering what you can do to save the world?

The world feels a bit crazy these days! As the Chaos rises so does the desire for peace.

It is time to stop wondering who will save the world and start asking this single most important question to create world peace.

What Comes After Peace?

Have you ever stopped to think about this?

We spend so much of our time and energy working to attain both inner and global peace, but have we ever stopped to think about what this really means?

What is on the other side of Peace?

Twice in my life, I have broken a board with my bare hand. There is one simple rule to this technique. You must not focus on breaking the board but rather on breaking through the board. This means placing your attention not on breaking the board but on seeing your hand on the other side of the broken board.

We need to apply this technique to our quest for peace.

Years ago, when my son was eight years old, we were discussing the possibility of creating a video game that did not include war and violence.

As the discussion moved into the possibility of world peace, my son in his infinite wisdom said,

“People are not ready for that. Without conflict, there would be no plot. And without a plot, no one would know what to do.”

My eight-year-old son had just summed up in one simple sentence why the world has continued this cycle of war and conflict since the beginning of time. I could not get this thought out of my head for weeks.

I realized that for generations we have been taught to live in the cycle of conflict. Not only through propaganda, video games and media. We learn the importance of conflict in basic writing classes!

The foundation of every paper is that a plot must consist of an introduction, conflict, and resolution.

In fact, every story that we read is based on this core principal.

The Hero’s journey is our collective story!

The problem with the Hero’s journey is that to be a hero, one face an oppression and win.

This collective plot line will keep us in a cycle of conflict for eternity. We will continuously seek peace but never find peace.

How do we write a new story?

I dedicated the last eleven years of my life to mastering a new story; not only for the world, but for myself.

In fully dropping a storyline that clings to conflict, I free myself to imagine a world beyond peace. As I dropped my attachment to conflict, I discovered not only were my actions tied to the cycle of conflict and resolution, my desire for intimacy was woven into this same cycle.

Stop for a second and think about relationship. Most intimate moments come from joining together around conflict. We have a problem; reach out to a friend for comfort. The friend either commiserates by sharing her/his own similar problems or helps us find a resolution. We are comforted by these moments of intimate bonding.

So how do we create intimacy beyond conflict?

I had the honor of being present at the Common Grounds of Peace Forum, with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and several world peace advocates.

I smiled when the moderator, Ann Curry, read this question,

“We focus so much attention on attaining world peace. What comes after peace?”

After four years of contemplating this very question, I anxiously awaited the response from these notable peace leaders.

One by one, each person attempted to answer. Yet, each answer simply reiterating the need for peace. Not one of these renowned peace advocates actually answered the question. Even more significant is that not one of them even seemed to realize that they were not answering the question.

Then His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, with his brilliant smile and light-hearted nature spoke. He shared that when you have peace at your core, you will be happy and you will have more friends.

“And,” he said, “everyone likes more friends.”

Simple and true.

Yes, after peace comes joy. We must start by finding this joy within ourselves.

As we release our attachment to storylines of conflict, we will discover a whole new way of connecting to others. We will discover a new way of seeing this world.

Begin by imagining a new and vibrant world. See a world that is more vibrant and colorful than you have ever before imagined. This world has unlimited possibilities and its only plot is to explore and create beauty. In this world, everything moves naturally into its most perfect form.

Meditating on this “Vibrant New Earth” immediately brings life into harmony. More than that, meditating on this Vibrant New Earth is the greatest gift we can offer our world in its quest for peace.

We are co-creators of this Universe

We must be able to see a world of joy to move through peace and create the world we desire.

John Lennon understood this in the 70’s when he planted the seed of intent with his song Imagine.

I’m sure you have heard the song and have felt the vibration of peace it carries: But have you taken the time to Imagine?

Take a moment to contemplate these lyrics. Really let the images of a joy filled world penetrate you. Let yourself feel the world you imagine.

“Imagine there’s no heaven

It’s easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there’s no countries

It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people living life in peace

You, you may say

I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will be as one”

-John Lennon

Imagination is the gateway to creation. Let’s join together and imagine a world beyond peace. Let’s co-create in this moment a world filled with playful and creative joy.

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One of my favorite moments is when I gaze into my empty fridge and pantry (which happens a lot when I am immersed in a creative project) then putting odd random ingredients together, I create a delectable masterpiece.

2 Comments

I love this! As I was driving through the south this past week and passing places like the Army War College, I couldn’t help but wonder when we are going to stop this cycle of instilling the “importance” of war into the minds of each new generation of young people. It’s time for us all to become a different type of hero!

Heidi~ I know exactly what you mean. When traveling, it is profound to notice how much of our land is dedicated to memorials of war. It is almost a sense of worship. Of course war continues with this mindset.